A light in the wilderness
I didn’t know what to expect from The Pathless when I first booted it up, which is odd seeing as the game has been out for a few years now. I knew I loved the art style, the very bright and vibrant colors really seem to do it for me lately, could be that I am just getting older. I also know that it was a 3rd person action-adventure game that was being voiced by arguably some of the best VO actors in the business (I say arguably because while I love Laura Bailey I dislike Troy Baker…but everyone else loves him.) which was enough to warrant me wanting to check it out for myself, that and it finally has arrived on Xbox.
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
The Pathless puts players in control of The Hunter who is voiced by Bailey, during the game she must lift a curse that is covering the island. Pretty heavy ‘Breath of the Wild’ vibes from this one, which honestly at this point what game isn’t shooting for BotW, they call it a ‘Masterpiece’ for a reason and this is coming from someone who didn’t even like it. The ‘Ganon’ type force in The Pathless is voiced by Baker and is known as the Godslayer, while the game walks a similar path in story with BotW where it begins to shine on its own is in the gameplay and combat.
The Hunter uses a bow and arrow for combat and has a dash for navigation, and while this is going to feel familiar as every game is doing this now, what The Pathless does different is in how its recharged. As players move through the world, they can kill the various targets which will give them more meter and dash them forward. This enables players to chain various moves to navigate the world including ‘ninjalike’ flips. This also comes into play when it comes to solving the world’s many puzzles and even combating bosses. Add into that the sliding and there is a lot of joy to be found in just navigating this colorful yet cursed world.
Pretty early in the game players will get a bird companion who will also help with puzzles. She can be instructed to pick up and place items and will use other things in tandem with The Hunters bow to open new routes and solve puzzles. The Pathless is a very solid action-adventure game, one that arguably is something that Xbox lacks. While a two-year-old game won’t set the world on fire in sales; I can recommend this to those folks who may have been waiting for this release on Xbox, the bright colors and almost anime-like graphics and exceptionally well-done soundtrack make for a chill and mostly rewarding experience.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
